Scaffold bracket



July' 29, 1952 E, J. BUcsK'o ET AL i scAFFoLD BRACKET 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 18, 1948 July 29', 1952 E. J. BucsKo ET AL 2,605,074

SCAFFOLD BRACKET Filed Feb. 18, 1948 4 sheets-Sheet 2 f 'w if 11W f\\\ A Eugn@ J. @umm www Mff@ y INVENTORS July 29, 1952 E. J. BucsKo ET Al.

SCAFFOLD BRACKET Filed Feb. 18, V1948 4 Sheets-Sheet I5 Fig. 5

Q' l :I: 44 l Eugene J. Bucs/ml .Victor T. Wedrife INVENTORJ Y @um July 29, 1952 E. J. ucsKo ET A1.I 2,605,074

scAFFoLD BRACKET 'l l Filed Feb. 18', 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 7.

4 [lwlnlrh 24 24 64 /4 Eugene J. Bucsko Victor 7'. Wedr/fe IN V EN TOR` vBY Patented July 29, '1,952

' UNITED STATES PATE-Nr! oFF-ice I ugene J Bucsko and Victor T. Wedrit'e,

Pontiac, Mich.

. A This. invention'. relates: generally." 'to' building construction', arid` more'A particularly to' scaffold structure'. Y. Y '$.The primary object'ofxthifslnvention is to` pro-v vide a scaffold structure in' which a minimum of material is required and which is :assembled with a minimum of eifort anidvery expeditiously.y Another object ofthis invention is to provide a Yscaffold `structure which'4 may Vbe indefinitely extended Without losing stability or becoming unsafe v f .Y p

- Still-another object,y of this invention is to provide a scaffold `structure :ini which thematerial isk notl damagedrby an excessive;y amountofnailing, the greater proportion of 'the connectionskbetween-the upright ineinberseandI the cross; pla-aka being accomplishedby the use .of-.a novelbracliet, a plurality of which arefyincorporatedinA the scaffold construction.V l

Yet another very important object is the provision of a bracket whichnm'ay be used inv the construction of ascaifold, thisl bracket having a considerableA number of novel constructional features'-per se, lincluding 'adjustabilityA for use' with lumber of slightlyv varying sizes, quick attachability,` substantial avoidance of the use of nails except in theatt'achmentxof lbases' onV the uprights and the attachment ofthe cross planks toy the horizontal members of the'v brackets; and novel means for positively clampingY the'bracket on' thevertical upright members of thisu scaffold. Still another object ofk this invention, ancillary to the preceding object to providewhat Will be termed hereinafterupight aligningm'eans op*- eratively .f associated' with'A an adjustable hook in the bracket,- wherebyy the-bracketisi propt-arlyv aligned with an upright at the same timeasthis adjustable hook' is' clamped i'ntcti'ght engagement with the upright,- and' it :may .be here' noted that this adjustablelhook cooperates inv a novelv manner with aiixe'd hook carried on the bracket, this fixed .hok A"heilig inclined? to the side ofthe bracket Whichis'veitical-'vvhen the" bracket is in operative position so as to facilitate the" engage'' ment of this xed hook on` an'upright, priorl to the clamping thereofby' adjustment ofthe* said? adjustable hook. l e

Yet another object is y ing the 'above' mentioned? novel' bracket coristruc'.A

tion,v VWiieieby cross." plankseare used.' te' rrigidly'. link lvertically overlapping uprlgh-ts', Without theI use of nails or cleats. .l Anda last obj ect to- 'be mentioned` is to provide a scaffold construction and-af novelbracketftherefor, which are-relatively inexpensive and practicable to-:manufacturavsafe andfsiinplei toprovidemeans includa specifically A es weil es expeditious. iii epeetien, ena which' y will give general efiicient anddurable serifice;

ments and portionslas Willhbe vhereinafterv deL c scribed in the specification",y particulay pointed `out in the appended claims; and illustrated iii the accompanying drawings which form a material part of this application and iii-Which:A

Figure 1 is a three.dimensionalview of a safffoldV bracket yand a portionlo'ff an upright clamped' therein; y

l'figure' 2 isla" horizontal sectional View; takenl substantially on a plane includingy 'theline 2142 in Figure 11;. M ,Y 1'- Figure 3 is a sideelevatidnalzvieiv of a pair brackets s=ci1reclv i`nf vertically spaced' relation onan inzuigl'i-t,y the' upright-V b'eing brani-:dto. fet-build'- ing, and the iigu're' including Walk planksv carried by theb'rackets; Figure 4 is a `iragnient-ery sideel'evatioal' view of' a scaffold lcon'striicted" according' to Ithis in' vention and employingV a;Y pluralityv of brackets 'of the character described hereinv as means'for tieing vertically overlapping uprightstogether through the agency of cross planks, this Viewv alsof in'cl'ud'e ing fragmentary representation of cross braces which may be nailedtotliefuprights to act las auxiliary stabiliZingmeaiisf' for the' scaffld Figure" 5 is -aiside elevational View; taken" sub"-y stantially onVv a plaifietlirough the' linear-5 in Figure 4;-

Figure 6 isa fragmentary'horizontal'v sec-tional view of 4the structure-illustrated i-nFigue 4k It shouldbenotedthatiguie: 3 represents a l manner of using thelbrackets..described inl this" application -diiere'ntfrom? tlieihanner i using'- the bracketsiii Figures- 43,1526 andi, no"

claim for novelty inr the saai-*fold costru'cti' se achieved by tn'efuse ofthe never bracket illustrated 'inFigur'e iSj is fin-ade' in this' appli-ca# tioii, Whereasit should befvequally' clearly .under'' stood that the'scaifold construction represented in Figures`I` 4 7. is consideredj nove'lf' aridi is` a 156i-Y tiony of the'subjectniatter'of this application.

Similar cliaracters'oi reference' design-a r lar or identical elements*andpoittionsthroug; the' specification andlv throughoutf-the v`se viewspf thefdravlings:

Referring new 1to1-the dfewiiigefin-f 'eet-eitje Referring first to the construction of the bracket per se, it will be noted that this bracket includes a frame having a horizontal member I4 and a vertical member I6, when the bracket creasing the rigidity of the scaffold construction. This portion of the bracket is completed by a stop 48, indicated in Figure 3 and formed integral with the lower end of the vertical member I6, in order to limit the movement of the plate 46 and handle 44 in one direction.

The horizontal member I4 is provided with an'an'gle plate `ASil-on the ppersi'de thereof and is apertured as at" 52, thev 'cross planks 54 in the scaffold being held in position in abutment with 'Y the plate 50 and the upturned end I8, while nails may Vbe driven through these apertures 52 into theY cross planks 54, as an extra safety measure.

Referring now to the scaffold illustrated in Figures 4-7, it will be first noted that the uprights IIJ and I2 are arranged in vertical overis considered as disposed in operative position.

The horizontal and vertical members may be constructed of angle iron, the horizontal member4 I4 having Yaterminal :upturned portion IB and a brace Zil'being terminally secured to the other end portions ofthe horizontal and vertical members, as by Welding.l lA:pad 22 is secured to the voutside surface of the vertical member I6 by any suitable means .such-V as riveting, this pad being in onesimple form constructed of wood although any suitable semi-rigid material may be used. Y

A hook, hereinafter referred to as the fined hook 24 is rigidly secured as by Welding to one side of the horizontal member I4, as at 26,Y this hook extending outwardly and upwardly from the horizontal memberthe hook` proper 2SY engaging the side of an upright IV remote from the pad 22, and it will be observed that the inclination of thehook facilitates the placement of the bracket on the upright I0, whereafter the bracket is moved'so that the vertical member I6 is horizontal to the upright. When the bracket has been moved into this position, the

pad 22 is in engagement with the adjacent face of the upright I 0, While the hook is made to bite intothe upright. To accomplish this clamping action, an adjustable hook is terminally mounted by a pivot pin 32Y on the ratchet eccentric 34 which is carried on a short shaft 36 journalled in the lower end of the vertical member I6. The manually operated pawl 38 is operatively associatedv with the ratchet eccentric 34 and may be mounted on a side plate 40 rigidly secured to the lower end of the vertical member I6 and extending in the same general direction as the hooks 24 and 30 in order to function as an abutment for one side of the upright I6. willlbe noted that the side plate 40 carries a slotted member 42 wherein an intermediate portion of the hookv 3l)` isslidably mounted and guidedl thereby.'I -A handle 44 may be formed integral with the short shaft A36 and is disposed on the side of the bracket remote from the ratchet eccentric 34. It will be clear that actuation of this handle 44 in one direction will cause the hook 30` to be drawn inwardly so that the bracket is pulled into position with the pad 2!) parallel with and abutting with the upright I0. As a further automatic positioning Vmeans for the bracket, there is provided what is hereinafter apart so as to grip the upright firmly, thus inlapping relationship and that the cross planks 54 are secured as indicated immediately above on the horizontal members I4 of each of a pair of horizontal bracket memberszll4, that is,.one bracket indicated fgenerallyat. 56 is secured to the upright I0 While another similarv bracket indicated at-58 is secured in inverted position to the upright I2, While both .brackets are rigidly associated with vthe .same cross planks 54. It will be seen that this arrangement provides for the erection of two or more tiers of uprights, without excessive nailing, exceptthose nails inserted 'through the apertures 52 in the horizontal members I4 and a limited number of nails necessary to secure conventionalcross braces 60 and 62 in position-on the Yuprights. Walkplanks 64 will be supported'on the cross planksv 54, to complete the scaffold structure,xit being understood that severaltiers of cross `planks 54 and walk planks 64 maybe providedbyai scaffold according to this invention -l. fr

The scaffold construction illustrated in Figure 3 is of a considerablysimpler character, the planks 66 functioning as walk planks, While inserted in the positions occupied by the cross planks 54 in the scaffold construction described hereinabove. This simplefscaifold construction employs braces 68 which may be tacked, as at 1U, to window framesv and the like, and similar braces 72 which are provided'with pins 'I4 adapted to dig into the wall structure vof the building against Which the scaffold is beingv constructed, in order to prevent slippage thereof. In either case, the scaffold structure may bemade to lean slightly toward the buildingaccording to conventional practice, and it may be vhere noted that use of this invention does not entail alteration of any conventional practices relating to the use of scaffold structures, Veitherby. masons, carpenters, painters n or the like.

The operation of this invention' will be'clearly understood from the foregoing; description of the mechanical detailsthereof,4 taken in connection with the drawings and the :recitation 'of the objects sought to be achieved by thisinvention` A further description would, therefore,' appear to be unnecessary. 1;' :.11- i c g Obviously many minor variations may be made in the exact proportionment and detail construction of the various elements ofythis invention without departure from the spirit and scope thereof.v Accordingly limitation of this invention is sought only in accordance with a proper vinterpretation of the terminologynsed in the subjoined claims. f

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:r j

'1.- A scaffold bracketxcomprisingnaf vertical memberv and a horizontall'member, oneV end of said horizontal member being iixed to the upper end of said vertical member, an upper hook having a shank xed to said horizontal member, said upper hook projecting outwardly from the vertical member and located on the opposite side of said vertical member from said horizontal member, an inclined brace terminately secured to said members, a plate secured to the lower end of said vertical member, a horizontal shaft rotatably supported on said plate and the lower end of said vertical member, a ratchet supported` on said shaft for rotation therewith and disposed alongside of said plate, a lower hook member having a shank eccentrically pivoted to the ratchet, a guide mounted on the plate slidably receiving and guiding the shank portion of said lower hook, and a pawl pivoted on the plate and engageable with the ratchet to retain the ratchet in a selected rotated position, said lower hook being disposed on the same side of said vertical member as said upper hook and cooperating withthe latter in retaining the bracket on an upright against which the vertical member rests.

2. A scaffold bracket comprising upper and lower halves, said upper half including a vertical portion and a horizontal portion with the horizontal portion extending forwardly from the lower end of the vertical portion, said lower half also including a vertical portion and a horizontal portion with the horizontal portion extending outwardly from the upper end of the vertical portion and underlying the horizontal portion of said upper half and coacting therewith to grip planks therebetween, a fixed hook secured to and extending rearwardly from each of said horizontal portions and adapted to engage about an upright against which said vertical portions rest, and a horizontally adjustable hook carried by and projecting rearwardly from each of said vertical portions and adapted to engage about an upright against which said vertical portions rest, said hooks coacting with said vertical portions in holding an upright therebetween.

3. The combination of claim 2 and upright aligning means associated with each of said adjustable hooks.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said upright aligning means comprises a fiat vertically swingable plate member.

5. A scaffold bracket comprising a vertical member and a horizontal member, one end. of said horizontal member being iixed to the upper end of said vertical member, an upper hook having a shank fixed to said horizontal member, said upper hook projecting outwardly from the vertical member and located on the opposite side of said Vertical member from said horizontal member,`an inclined brace terminately secured to said members, a plate secured to the lower end of said Vertical member, a horizontal shaft rotatably supported on said plate and the lower end of said Y vertical member, a ratchet supported on said shaft for rotation therewith and disposedalongside of said plate, a lower hook member having a shank` eccentrically pivoted to the ratchet, va guide mounted on the plate slidably receiving and guiding the shank portion of said lower hook, and a pawl pivoted on the plate and engageable with the ratchet to retain the ratchet in a selected rotated position, said lower hook being disposed on the same side of said vertical member as said upper hook and cooperating with the latter in retaining the bracket on an upright against which the vertical member rests, and a plate member secured to said shaft and disposed normal thereto and spaced parallel to said plate for riding against the side of an upright during rotation of said shaft to move the lower hook into gripping engagement with an upright.

EUGENE J. BUCSKO. VICTOR T. WEDRITE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 446,472 Roberts Feb. 17, 1891 551,434' Doolittle Deo. 17, 1895 805,949 Facette Nov. 28, 1905 973,949 Lutz Oct. 25, 1910 1,359,452 Walker Nov. 16-, 1920 1,441,806 Haitsma Jan. 9, 1923 1,597,095 Martinsen Aug. 24, 1926 1,871,041 Cavanagh Aug. 9, 1932 2,340,487 Paquette Feb. 1, 1944 

